Brassiere



E. K. LA ROE BRASSIEERE May 16, 1950 Filed Jan. 8, 1947 INVENTOR 753 K.Le Roe A BY ATTORNEY Patented May 16, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT.OFFICE.-

2,508,037 anassnmn Else K. La Roe, New York, N. Y.

Application January 8, 1947, Serial No. 720,736

This invention relates to brassieres.

Broadly, it is an object of my invention to provide a, brassiere whichsupports the breasts without pressure on the tissues of any portion ofthe breasts.

A further object of my invention is to provide cups for the breasts soformed that no seams cross the central portion at the nipple area.

Heretofore, various brassires, both domestic and' foreign have becomefashionable and are constructed so that the breasts are encircled byvelvet covered wires, whalebone or plastic m'a- I terials. Suchbrassires are expensive and are usually made to order.

A detachable item is also known which is sold as a separate device whichcan be attached to the brassire proper by snaps, sewing or pinning tosuch brassieres. These devices. especially for strapless eveningbrassires are so constructed that the breasts are supported by wires,whalebone or plastic materials placed in vertical positions. By coveringsuch wires, whalebone or plastic material, seamsare created and thematerials bulk "about such supporting members so that the sensitivetissue 'of the breasts become irritated due to such extra material andseams.

Brassieres which are custom made or purchased ready to wear containdouble under seams, especially the lower medium quadrant or the lowerhalf which is the dominant support for the breasts. Such seams or dartsor the lining for the wire, whalebone, or plastic supports exert doublepressure upon the underlying soft tissues. This pressure is generallygreatest where the darts or seams meet at the nipple area. Thebrassieres heretofore manufactured have a pointed appearance at thenipple area which is produced solely by the type of construction of thebrassire. In my brassire the construction is such as to create a morenatural line and appearance of the breast and nipple. Any pointedconstruction is harmful and dangerous in the light of recent medical andsurgical experience and knowledge. I have therefore, provided a breastcovering construction wherein the central portion of the material has noseams. darts or wire, whalebone or plastic covered device covering suchcentral area. I have given special attention to provide aconstructionwherein the nipples are free, because the open ducts of thenipple and the supersensitive tissue at and around the nipple should atall times be protected, so that no irritation results. My type ofconstruction is also based on physiological and pathologic.considerations.

2 Claims. (Cl. 2-42) A further object of my invention is to provide aconstruction wherein the seams are turned upward instead of inward toprevent any irritation at any parts of the body because of suchseams.

It will be evident that any brassiere constructionwherein the nipplesare free from irritation is particularly valuable for pregnant andnursing elastic members to support the breast covering members in orderto provide proper suspension so that friction and irritation isprevented, particularly of the submammary fold.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of my invention,reference is had to the following detailed description in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front plan view of the brassiere. partly in perspective.

Figure 2 is a side sectional view of the breast pocket cut away.

Figure 3 is a side sectional view of a modified breast pocket cut away,and

Figure 4 is a front view of a breast showing the skin tension lines.

Referring to the drawing, numeral l0 represents a brassire comprising ofa pair of breast covering members ll, preferably made of silk; however,other strong like materials, such as tulle, batiste, rayon, nylon, laceand other like materials may be used. Breast covering members II areformed from two pieces of material l2 and i3. Piece i2 is cut from apiece of material having a two way stretch. The ends of the materialcurve upwards so that the stretch of the fabric runs circumferentially,as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3. The second piece 13 is a two wayvertical stretch, the upper part being pulled horizontally to make a fanshaped segment of about forty degrees; the segment between H and one asit appears upon a clock. The areola and nipple portion may be made of asingle piece of material I, as shown in Figure 3 with the central ornipple portion I5 pressed in the form of a cupped cylinder, to house thenipple. However, the nipple portion IS may be separated from the areolaportion H, as shown in Figure 2. The sections are then connectedtogether by 'O E-d a s l8 ithout doubling over the material. When thethe segments are thus fagoted, the breast covering members form cuppedcylinders while the central portions IE or it provide cupped cylindersfor the nipples so that no irritation takes place. The material orsegments l2 and it have the stretch follow the skin tension lines asindicated by the arrows in Figure l and as shown by the skin tensionlines in Figure 4. I prefer to use a fabric for the cupped cylinder ofsufficient porosity to permit the passage of air in the area of theareola and nipple.

Since the material is turned over and not under no irritation willresult because the underneath side presents a smooth surface against thebody.

The fundamental idea of my brassiere is the subject of the breastwithout any pressure on the tissues, that is the support eliminates thedragging weight from the lower part of the breast without pressure onthe upper part. To thoroughly understand the reason for my structure Ihave hereafter briefly described the structure of the breast.

The breast is one of the most complicated parts of the human anatomy.Each breast is composed of from twelve to eighteen individual glands,each one of which contains a system of tubes. These tubes are formedaround the circular base of the breast like the spokes of a wheel,converging toward the center and meeting in the main tubes which feeddirectly into the nipple and through it supply the milk to the nursingchild. Each one of these branching glands is embedded in fatty andconnective tissue which gives the breast its firmness; and each one ofthe glands is protected from its neighboring gland by connective tissue.

The whole arrangement is somewhat similar to a bunch of grapes. The milkducts, which resemble grapes, are found at the end of each one of thebranching fibres. These fibres are rather like the small stems to befound on each grape, which connect with the main stem.

The fragility of the mammary gland will be understood when its pomtionon the chest is explained. The great pectoral muscle appears as a large,partially opened fan. The pointed end, beginning at each shoulder bone,spreads widely apart toward the center of the chest, in sheets ofmuscular fibres which reach in width from the collar bone to the breastbone. The fibres are firmly attached to the breast bone along its fulllength. This great pectoral muscle forms a solid base for the breast.

This pectoral muscle is covered with a fascia, which means a network offibrous tissue. With its complicated network of ducts, glands and fattissue, the breast is a completely separate formation which is fastenedto the pectoral muscle merely by a network of connective tissue. Theconnective tissue is interwoven on one side with the fascia covering thepectoral muscle which spreads over each side of the chest, as explained,and on the other side,- it is embedded in the fasciaror fibrous tissue,which encloses the entire globe of the breast.

Whatever tends to injure or to compress the connective tissue whichholds the breast will eventually destroy, first its firm support andthen its shape. The connective tissues fundamentally give the breast itssmooth roundness, and permits the breast to stand any normal strain andchange, enabling the breast, cooperatively with the marvelous elasticityof the outer skin, to expand and return to its original size withoutlosing its contour. Even during the nursing period, that is the periodof lactation, women who have properly relieved their breasts of strainhave emerged with slight damage to their breasts. Should any pressure orconstriction take place upon the breast, there is a possibility of oneor more of the numerous glands to become inactive, thus setting up ablockade that eventually spells trouble. It is therefore important forevery part of the breast to function properly.

The outer skin covering the breast is of extremely fine texture. Becauseof its elasticity, it also plays an importantpart in maintaining theshape of the breast. The elastic fibres act to hold the breast in shapeand to prevent it from sagging. If the outer skin loses its elasticity,or if its elasticity is overtaxed by too great an accumulation of fat,the breast begins to sag, even though its base is still attached to thefascia by the connective tissue. Then the connective tissue must bearthe whole strain of the dragging weight, without any help from the skin,and gradually the fibres also begin to stretch until the weight of theentire breast again rests upon the already weakened skin. That begins avicious circle, skin and fibres alternately sagging which in the endleads to deformity.

I have therefore provided a covering for the breast which follows theelastic fibres of the breast, that is the lower and side segments of thebreast pocket has circumferential stretch while the upper centralsegment stretches fanwise.

The skin tension lines illustrated and followed in my breast pocketstructure were established by Carl, Ritter von Edenberg von Langer in1881 as subcutaneous fibre connective trabeculars in the derma andsubcutaneous tissue, such tension lines regarding the female breastbeing arranged in a fan shape from the areola in a slightly fanwise andsubstantially vertical direction of approximately forty degrees, whilethe remaining skin tension lines are arranged substantially in acircumferential direction.

Since it has been proved that the trabecular fibroconnective tissueactually increases diametrically according to the strain to which it issubjected; the importance of my breast pocket structure becomes evident.The substantially vertical skin tension lines between H and i (ascompared to the numerals of a clock) are increased diametricallyespecially in instances of heavy breasts so that my breast supporterwill prevent a pendulous condition especially when the strain of theheavy parenchyma is superior to the loose support of the retro-mammaryconnective tissue. It can be seen that by the fabric of my breast pocketsupporters stretched in the direction of the natural skin tension lines,support is given to the upper medial area and the lower portion of thebreast.

Joining the two breast covering members H, I provide a pair of crossedelastic members is which are stitched together at their central portionor cross point 20. Where the members is run tangent to the breastpockets II, the memhers. I! are stitched to the upper part oftheoverlapping hem 2|. Hem 2| is turned outward, that is to the front sothat no undue pressure will be upon the skin tissue. This will permitexpansion of the chest or lateral movement of the breasts withoutrestriction or binding, at the same time exerting a mild force tocontinually keep the breasts in normal position. At the opposite sidesof pockets II are two tangential elastic members 22 and 23 so thatmembers ll, 22 and 23 form a square. The ends of elastic members 22 and23 are stitched to lateral supporting members 24-25 which pass aroundthe anterior serratus muscles and may be separably joined together atthe back by hooks," and eyes 21. The eyes 21 are attached in elasticpiece 20. which in turn, is attached to the extreme end of the lateralsupporting member 25. Straps 2! and 30 are made of non-elastic materialand are attached at "-35 where the members I. and 22 are joined, theopposite ends are attached to the back of the lateral supporting band3|. Band 3| has its seams 3233 turned over and stitched so that noirritation results beneath the edges of the band 3|. Band 3| is attachedto the upper portion of the lower central part of the breast coveringmember ll, thus preventing the brassiere from riding up. The free endsof band 3! have hooks l6 and eyes 31 attached to cooperate with oneanother, eyes 31 being attached to a small elastic piece 38 which isjoined to one end of band 3|, providing a fastening means to retain bandII in position, while the elastic piece ll provides suflicientexpansibility to resiliently retain band It in position, preventingrestriction and providing free play for the muscles.

It is within the realm of my invention to provide a variety offundamental breast shapes for the three basic breast types, that is thediscoid, hemispheric and conic. Each of such variations may be producedin various sizes known to the industry, such as small, medium, large andextra large.

It is obvious that various changes and modiflcations may be made in thedetails of construction without departing from the spirit of myinvention. I

I claim:

1. A brassiere comprising a pair of bust receiving pockets at the frontthereof, said pockets attached to a pair of tangential elastic memberscrossing between said pockets, elastic tangential members at the sidesopposite to said first named elastic members substantially forming asquare,

the outer ends 01 said square attached to lateral body embracingmembers, means for separably joining the ends of said body embracingmembers, a body supporting and embracing band attached .to the bottomedge of each of said bust receiving pockets, means for separably joiningthe ends of said body supporting band, shoulder straps attached at oneend at the upper ends of said squares and the opposite ends at the rearportion of said body supporting band, each of said bust receivingpockets comprising a circular substantially conical portion and asegment portion, said circular portion being approximately 320 degreesof the circle leaving a V-shaped opening in its upper central partapproximately 40 degrees, said segment portion attached by stitchingwithin said V-shaped opening, said segment portion stretchable to agreater extent in the width than vertically, said circular portionstretchable circumferentially.

2. The brassiere in accordance with claim 1 including a porouscylindrical shaped nipple portion attached at the center of each of saidbust receiving pockets.

ELSE K. LA ROE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,802,464 Frieland Aug. 28, 19312,016,614 Rawetzky Oct. 8, 1935 2,391,417 Hill Dec. 25, 1945 2,418,016Edelston Mar. 25, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 787,498France July 8, 1935 191,857 France Sept. 30, 1935 I

